pokerfandomcom-20200223-history
Oaks
Hours, Tables, Location Open 24/7. 25 tables, plus additional "no-bust blackjack" and "double hand poker" tables. 4097 San Pablo Ave, Emeryville CA, next to Oakland. Phone: 510-653-4456 Games Limit hold 'em: 1/2, 2/4, 3/6, 6/12, 15/30. Fridays also have a 30/60 game. NLHE: Illegal in Emeryville. Omaha/8: 2/4 with a half kill, 3/6 7-Stud: they do offer it, but I'm not sure what limits Rake: * Hold 'em 1/2: $2 + $1 jackpot per hand. * All other hold 'em games below 15/30: $3 + $1 jackpot per hand. * Hold 'em games at 15/30 and above: time payment (unsure how much) taken on the half hour. * Omaha/8: 2/4 = $3 + $1. * Omaha/8: 3/6 = $4 + $1. Game Review (anonymous reviewer, June 2005): Probably the lowest live table in the Bay Area with absolutely horrible players. MarkT, Dec 2005: 1/2, 2/4: Ridiculously loose, but it has to be. The rake eats up a good chunk of these pots. The $1/2 game seems particularly pointless, although as one offduty dealer told me in coversation, it's essentially people "killing time, having a little fun, and hoping to hit the jackpot". 3/6: Fairly loose and fairly passive. Definitely, there is no other casino in the Bay Area that offers a live 1/2 game. The 1/2 here is actually played with 50-cent chips, and the small blind is truly only 50 cents! Posting: New players (or returning players who missed a blind) can choose to "buy the button" by posting both the small and big blinds in position after the button, in which case neither of the normal blinds posts anything. Otherwise, standard posting rules apply. Shuffling: Standard ShuffleMaster shuffling machines on all tables. Anonymous reviewer from June 2005 said: Dealers are pretty friendly, but an equal number are non-talkers and a few are a little bit incompetent at reading the board and how hole cards relate to the board... (missed straights and flushes) but this is rare. Wait Time Varies from time to time and game to game, but waits seemed somewhat reasonable when I was there on a Saturday afternoon. About 15 minutes for a table at any given game. Tournaments * Wednesday 6:35pm: Limit Hold'em, $50 + $15 buyin, 1 $50 rebuy, 1 $50 addon. * Sundays, 1:20pm, NLHE, $100 + $25 buyin, 1 rebuy. * occasional others as well... Jackpots * Bad Beat Jackpot: Aces full of Tens or better beaten (both hole cards must play in both hands). Usually around $15K. For Omaha, the qualifier is Quad 8's or better beaten. Atmosphere Very nice casino: possibly the nicest in the Bay Area. High ceilings, clean and open and well-lit. A few strategically-placed TVs hung on the walls. A few separate rooms of tables in addition to the large main room. Neighborhood: Sort of a ghetto area of town, but doesn't look too dangerous. Somewhat commercial area, fairly open. Parking: They have their own parking lot next to the casino with about 40-50 spaces, and a security guard at the entrance to watch it (and, presumably, watch you as you enter or leave the casino). They also offer Valet Parking: pull into the lot and drive straight ahead to the back where the valets are. If the lot is full, a large overflow Oaks lot is right across the street with another 100 spaces or so. Tables and Chairs: Standard 9-player tables. Comfortable chairs, nice tables. Definitely upscale. Cool looking chips with foil stamping in their center. Service and Comps Don't know; didn't try the actual service. The casino is literally connected to a hofbrau place that looked pretty good. While waiting for a table, I wandered through the hofbrau and thought everything looked quite tasty, and reasonably priced. A previous anonymous reviewer said "Food is pretty decent, and not too expensive either". Links * Official Oaks Website * Nearest competitor is probably the California Grand Casino in Pacheco/Martinez, or possibly Artichoke Joe's in San Bruno, on the other side of the bay. Visited By Wiki Authors MarkT visited on December 31, 2005